I will strive beyond this cursed bloodline!

Chapter 23: The Guardian of Souls


Elizabeth found the room quite spacious, she promptly ignored the jacuzzi tempting at the far end of the room, in the open bathroom, with very clear and transparent walls that allowed to see who was showering at the moment.

Who would even want something like that (Elizabeth did, she would ask for prices on reservations and if they had other hotels in more beach-like resorts), really. Such a devious (And very welcomed) design.

No, instead she turned to Rossie and Rena who walked after her, "Sorry about this, but I am not sure how long it will take or what will happen, so can you look after me?" And asked as much.

"What do you need us to do?" Rena asked first in answer.

"And what will you do?" And Rossie added from the side.

"Just stay with me while I meditate," Elizabeth answered, "I am fusing one of my Sin gems with one of the elemental Gems."

Easy right?

"That should help me stabilize the Sin Gem and increase my Soul overall power; Aura thinks we can save Amelia if I strengthen my Soul a little more…And I'll need all the help possible, these are quite helpful since fusing Gluttony with Shadows allowed me to defeat Echidna in her home turf." And also helped her make the woman bend the knee.

That felt so good….

"Okay," Rossie answered, "So? How do we do this?"

"Well…I was thinking that we would lay in the bed and….you keep me company?" Elizabeth said, turning to the bed and pointing with her hand, "That should be enough for now…"

"Easy," Rena said nodding.

"Easy, yes," Rossie said, unbuttoning her blouse, "Well, let's get comfortable then."

"Rossie!" Elizabeth said quickly covering her eyes with her hands (And leaving a gap between her fingers, she was not missing the show)

"Come on, Eli-Eli, if we are to spend god knows how much in bed, we need to be in comfortable clothing," Rossie said, throwing her blouse to the side, "Besides,…not like you haven't seen the goods already."

…True.

"But that is not the point!" Elizabeth said, fighting back as she used her Shadows to remove her blouse. "The point is that we need to have some decency!"

Elizabeth would not mention the fact that her shadows were helping Rena undress, or how she was using her own Shadows to put on her favorite pajamas. Because that was not the point here, nor how she had called Aura to take pictures of the whole event, she needed evidence to prove that she was keeping her promises after all.

Totally not doing it to have more material of Rossie in as little clothes as she could tolerate and keep her own sanity.

"....Right," Rossie said, nodding and putting on a sleeping gown..and nothing else; the girl really liked to be a temptress, "Well, come on Eli-Eli, Ren-Ren."

Both girls followed the sweet allure of temptation, that is, Rossie.

And soon the three girls found themselves in the bed, alone…unsupervised.

"Well gotta go, love you!" So Elizabeth closed her eyes and sank into herself. As deeply as she could within her Soul, as far as she had done, and as fast as she could tolerate.

She didn't want to even think what kind of devious things Rossie would do to her while she was doing this; the horrible and depraved acts Rossie would do to her body while she was unconscious was something Elizabeth dared not to think.

Or even imagine, no sir.

Also she would totally not look forward to the video she would get from Aura later.

"What if I don't record it?" Aura suddenly asked from the side, materializing beside Elizabeth.

"Gah!" Elizabeth jumped in surprise as she finished materializing within a containment cell, "Stop doing that…And go film it!"

Elizabeth couldn't believe the gall of her maid; she was only good at film and being a perverted voyeurist! What was she doing here?!?!?!

"You misunderstand me, Mistress," The purple-haired maid said shaking her head, "A voyeurist gets off by filming people in their more intimate moments, I don't enjoy that. I enjoy teasing and harassing you. Not the same."

"What's the point!" Elizabeth said in frustration, "You film Rossie, Rena, and me!"

"Well, for one, if I don't film whatever devious and degenerated acts Lady Rossie is doing right now to your unconscious body….then that will be a great way to annoy you." The purple-haired maid said smirking at Elizabeth.

Checkmate…

"You wouldn't…" Elizabeth said as her face turned white, the horror…the horror of not being able to see it…The perverted face of Rossie as the pink-haired girl kissed her….her gasping for air as she toyed with her unconscious body…

Aura wouldn't…

"Yeah, you are thinking of it… all that you could see….but will not," Aura said smiling and looking down at Elizabeth who fell to her knees, "That is what I live for, Mistress…that face…"

And turning up, Elizabeth finally knew…she now was aware of who the real monster was.

"You monster…" Elizabeth said she was unable to do anything. Should she impose her will? Sure. We could, she could make Aura bend to her will, no matter how powerful Aura was, she was still her Minion, all it would take was intent, actually using ideas to impose her will…

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But Elizabeth couldn't. She wouldn't make someone else do something they didn't want…And if Aura truly didn't want to film Rossie's degenerated acts…

"...What do you want…." Elizabeth said in defeat, nothing she could truly do besides bend the knee and ask for a boon from Aura.

"Don't be like that, Mistress," Aura said, laughing at her weakness, exposed defeat…Was this how Echidna felt? "I just need you to ask for it, tell me…What do you want?"

What does Elizabeth want? Aura knew it, she knew it better than anyone. She had been giving Elizabeth material for months now, how could Aura not know?

"....The same as always…" Elizabeth answered in a low voice.

"What was it?" Aura asked, putting a hand on her ear as if she hadn't heard her, "Speak up, please Mistress."

"....I want a video…" Elizabeth said in a low voice, "....The video…"

"A video? Sure, of what?" Aura said, and with a flourish, a list of video files showed in the air between them. "Here we have one of my favorite cat videos. The silly small cat is drinking milk when it falls asleep in the bowl, isn't it adorable?"

Yes, yes, it was adorable, but that wasn't what Elizabeth wanted!

"Not of that!" Elizabeth screamed back, the time was being lost! Sweet, sweet material was being lost! "You know of that !"

"....No, I don't," Aura answered with a smirk, "You have never actually told me of that, I offer you videos, and you take them, and I have given you plenty of things so far…"

….That damned purple-haired girl!

Was that why she occasionally snuck videos of other things?!?!? To make this excuse?!?!?!

"I want a video of Rossie kissing me while I sleep!" Elizabeth screamed as her face blushed, "Of Rossie fondling my breast and sucking on them! Of Rossie playing with my nether parts! Of her bare breast dangling on my mouth!"

Elizabeth screamed her darkest desires.

"Of Rossie making love to Rena atop me!" She turned redder the more she thought of it, "Of them cumming atop my face and then licking their love juices out of my face!"

"Damn….you truly are the debauchery dragon huh…" Aura said as a shade of red came into her face, "Calm down, girl…."

"You made me say it!" Elizabeth screamed back, "Now….can you….give me….the good stuff?"

"Nope," Aura said with a sweet smile on her face.

*crack*

"I'll rip your Soul open and fuck your skull with it," Elizabeth said in a cold, even tone as she spread her Dragon Aura fully to the outside.

"Calm your tits Mistress," Aura said dismissing the obvious threat of obliteration, "I can't give you what you asked since you forgot a very important detail,"

The purple maid said snapping her fingers, a window materializing in front of Elizabeth one that showed the outside world…

One where Elizabeth was with her eyes closed and sleeping, her chest going up and down in a sedated tune.

"....Hah?!?!?" And one image that made Elizabeth's jaw almost hit the floor, metaphorically speaking, of course.

"Yeah, I find it quite adorable if you ask me," Aura said, nodding from the side as the purple-haired maid teleported beside Elizabeth, "You forgot to count how much Lady Rossaline loves and respects your decisions."

In the image Elizabeth was holding Rossie and Rena's hands, one in each hand. Both girls remained to the side with their eyes open, and it seemed as if they were speaking…?

"Oh right, volume, sorry. Forgot you can't hear things across dimensions unless you focus." The purple-haired maid said, snapping her fingers once more.

"....Are you sure Rossie?" The voice of Rena came from the window, "I can cut my arm and come to that side."

"I am sure Ren-Ren," Rossie said closing her eyes, "I can still hold on…Elizabeth trusted me…She trusted me that I would respect her body…"

Straight for the heart….Rossie didn't pull any punches either.

"She trusted me that I wouldn't abuse her trust and body…So I'll just snuggle…Look at her….so defenseless…" Rossie said, turning to look at Rena, "She knows….She knows that I could just…"

Rossie extended her arm and hovered her hand above Elizabeth's breast, "....It would be so easy….a numbing spell….a drug….a skill…..I could even use the ring to puppeteer her body….she would never know…."

"What about the Maid?" Rena asked from the side.

"She isn't watching right now…I can detect her when she records us….And she promised that she wouldn't record us unless we accepted, remember?" Rossie said shaking her head, "She knows her place, she wouldn't do anything against us."

"That is a lie sadly, I will never do anything against your interest Mistress," Aura said shaking her head, "And she can't detect me…unless I permit it, of course."

…Aura was a menace.

Rossie could even detect her Shadow Dragons….And she couldn't detect Aura unless Aura allowed it?

"What are you even doing here?" Elizabeth asked in defeat, "You are obviously recording them….but why are you here right now."

"Well…You are fusing the Space Gem, right?" Aura said, confused, "Wouldn't it be better if I was around for it?"

…..What?

"Was I wrong?" Aura asked confused again, "You are aware that you NEED the space gem to get Lady Amelia…right?"

"I mean…yeah…." Elizabeth said, nodding, "But I'm not fusing Space."

"....Why?" Aura asked slowly. "What could you possibly do besides fusing Space with Envy or Greed?"

"Well….they don't really match you….?" Elizabeth said, confused; there was no way that Aura thought they matched her, right? "I mean….Envy with the armory does seem like it could match you….And Greed with the whole space bending shadows and proliferation and whatnot…but…They don't feel like they match you."

"....I beg you pardon?" Aura said back, "They….You aren't fusing my Space Gem because you think the Sins don't match? Have I not been Greedy in what I demand? Have I not shown Envy when your Debauchery Dragon self ignored me for others? Have I not demanded your attention and policed your desires?"

….Was that why Aura acted like that?

Because she wanted her to be stuck with Greed or Envy?

"....Yeah, but…Like…. I can't help but think of Akira and Shadow Pact when seeing those Gems. And I don't want to stick your Gem with them." Elizabeth said shrugging, "It's a feels thing you know…A feels thing…"

"....Hahahahahahahahahahah," Aura started laughign at that, "You are dumb."

And merely stated that.

"You are actually dumb. Forget it, that's stupid…A feels thing?" Aura started throwing windows all around, projections of places, of Elizabeth wearing a crown with all the gems synched.

Of Elizabeth wearing different versions of the Crown of Sin.

"Of all the places, all the realities, all the worlds….You decided to go by feels?" Aura said turning to Elizabeth, "So pray tell what are you fusing then? Because I am sure you aren't touching Lust."

"Greed and Soul," Elizabeth answered, summoning the gems in question, "I am sticking the unending Greed that Maximilian Windsor wanted with the Soul Gem."

"...You are fusing the Sin Gem with what the former owner wanted the most?" Aura said, nodding, "You are evil, Elizabeth Starbright…You are fulfilling the dream of the former owner…After telling him…Nay, after showing him that his Wish was impossible?"

…No, Elizabeth wasn't doing something as grand as that.

"I am going by Feels," Elizabeth said shaking her head, "I fused Pride with Lightning because it felt right. Pride born from my hubris tied with the power that brought hope for me…And what should have been my birthright and the power I should have wielded from the start."

Lightning had that special connotation to Elizabeth, the bright power that Alexanders wielded till the end, the power that helped Elizabeth at her darkest time thanks to Chloe…And the power that Chloe probably despised the most since it separated her from Echidna.

"I fused Fire with Wrath because Rena burned more brightly than anyone else, even though her past was filled with darkness; she is a never-ending flame that only needed to be fed some Oxygen to live," A fire that Elizabeth hoped would burn forever.

"Shadows with Gluttony….well, that doesn't really need an explanation," Elizabeth didn't want to think too much on it.

From the start, her shadows had shown the inclination to go that path, and while she wasn't sure how much was affected by Nyctophagia, she couldn't deny the fact that it was by the unending Gluttony that her shadows had shown that she could be where she was now.

And now…

"Greed, the desire to have everything in the world…The desire to take all for oneself…" Elizabeth summoned the Gem of Greed, shining in a brown light as soon as she took it out with the intention of actually putting it to use.

Next she pulled forward the next one, the aspectual one.

"Soul, the fundamental force of this universe, what makes us who we are. The aspect that allows us to see ourselves for who we are, the key to the Soulscape." Elizabeth summoned the Gem of Soul, one that she had gotten and…never actually used for much.

It probably was what allowed her to guide so many Souls into herself and what allowed all the pseudo-reincarnation that had occurred across the last three years.

Two forces that she hadn't used much, and perhaps ones she shouldn't touch this hazarphly if she was to be honest, but even so, if she wanted to move forward if she wanted to truly reinforce herself, this was something that was needed.

If she was to truly move forward with Terra Nexus, with the plan of ascending and achieving Apotheosis, or something close to that, she needed a way to settle the Souls within Terra Nexus.

She would need a warden for the job, someone who could help her ferry all of those that joined Terra Nexus, someone who could help her with the management of souls from this side, someone to help lighten the load for Alice and Chloe.

She would need…A Guardian.

And so, she hoped that whatever entity that was born from this would help her with that. So she fused the gems and prepared for who was to come, when she fused Pride with Lightning, the Thunder Birbs got born…A group of brain-dead birds with a penchant to self-destruct.

When she fused Fire and Wrath, the fire salamanders got born, a group of…fire lizards that somehow acted like they all were high school girls….She would need to check on that later.

Shadow and Gluttony were easier; it only made her Shadow Dragons more solid and more of…themselves; if she was being honest, that was the less impressive of all.

But now?

Greed and Soul…It made.

"Oh Hi :D," An owl?

An Owl whose body was covered in faded colors and who was standing in a branch that….came out from empty space.

"Are you the one who wishes to kickstart this Civilization once more?" The Owl asked, tilting its head to a 90º angle.

This….Elizabeth had not expected this almost normal reaction….Now….What was this Owl speaking about?

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